Crutch attachment



July 3, 1947. F, LUM 2,423,635

CRUTCH ATTACHMENT Filed Nov. 29, 1945 ATTORNEY5 Patented July 8, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

lhis invention relates to a novel article carrying attachment for crutches of the type which includes a pair of convergent rods connected by a top cross-bar and by a hand grip below the cross-bar. The new attachment may be readily applied to or detached from crutches of different sizes and it provides a convenient and inexpensive means by the use of which the user of crutches may carry with him articles that he could not otherwise readily carry because of the necessity of grasping the crutch hand grips.

The attachment comprises a member adapted to be mounted detachably on the rods of a crutch below the hand grip and, preferably, to lie against the outer faces of the rods. The member supports a receptacle detachably secured thereto, so that the receptacle may be used or not, without removing the member from the crutch. As the member is compact and does not interfere in any way with the normal use of the crutch, it may be left in place indefinitely and the recep tacle may then be attached to the member, when desired.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a view in elevation showing part of the new attachment in place on a crutch;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view showing a part of the receptacle; and

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation with parts broken away showing a complete attachment applied to a crutch. I

In the drawings, the new article carrying attachment is illustrated as applied to a crutch of the usual type which includes a pair of rods l which converge to meet at the lower end of the crutch and are connected at their tops by a cross bar I I and between their ends by a hand grip 12. The attachment is mounted on'the rods below the hand gripand it includes a plate l3 preferably of metal and of sufiicient length to be' mounted against corresponding faces of rods I!) and to bridge the space between them.

The plate I3 is provided with clamping members It at its ends, and each member has a hook portion engageable with three faces of' one of the rods Ill, and a tail l5 which lies against the rear face of plate [3. Each clamping member is held adjustably on plate l3 by means of a bolt [6 which'passes through an opening in the tail of the clamping member and through a slot ll extending lengthwise of the plate. When the plate and the clamping members have been mounted on the rods in of the crutch, the nuts on the bolts it may be tightened to cause the plate to be firmly mounted in position.

Plate I3 is provided on its front face with means for attachment of a receptacle and, in the construction illustrated, such means take the form of fasteners, each of which includes a flat stud l8 mounted for rotation on an oval base l9 attached to a plate 20 which is riveted or otherwise secured to the plate 13. The fasteners are of a well-known construction, in which spring means are provided to urge the stud l8 against the outer end of its base I9, and th latter is provided with a transverse groove 2| in which the stud seats.

The receptacle forming part of the attachment may take various forms and, in the construction illustrated, the receptacle is a fiat envelope 22 of leather or other suitable material. A reinforcing plate 23 is mounted on the inner face of one wall of the envelope and the plate is formed with an elongated opening 24 at each end. The wall of the receptacle is formed with corresponding openings which may be finished by insertion of eyelets 25. Each opening 24 and the passage through the related eyelet are of a size such that the base I 9 of a fastener may be inserted therein, after which the stud l8 of the fastener may be turned to bear against the face of the reinforcing plate 23 on opposite sides of opening '24. By the use of thereinforcing plate, the receptacle is kept at full length and does not collapse and hang limply.

When the attachment is to be applied to a crutch, the plate I3 is clamped in position thereon and, since the plate hes flat against the outer face of rods if! and the fasteners do not project outwardly beyond the plate to an objectionable extent, the plate may be left in place on the crutch indefinitely. Whenever articles are to be carried, the receptacle can readily be mounted on the plate It by means of the fasteners and the receptacle may then be used for carrying articles, as desired. When the attachment is in place on the crutch. the receptacle lies on the outer side thereof and thus does not interfere with the movements of the user.

I claim: 7

1. An article carrying attachment for crutches of the type including a pair of convergent rods connected by atop cross-bar and a hand grip, which comprises a member adapted to be mounted on the rods below the hand grip to extend transversely of the rods, clamping means connected to the member for securing it to the rods, a receptacle, and cooperating means on the member and receptacle for detachably connecting the member and receptacle.

2. An article carrying attachment for crutches of the type including a pair of convergent rods connected by a top cross-bar and a hand grip, which comprises a member adapted to be mounted on the rods against like faces thereof below the hand grip, clamping means connected to the member for securing it in place on the rods, a

receptacle, and cooperating means on the member and receptacle for detachably connecting the member and receptacle.

3. An article carrying attachment for crutches of the type including a pair of convergent rods connected by a top cross-bar and a hand grip, which comprises a member adapted to be mounted on the rods below the hand grip to extend, trans versely of the rods, clamping means connected to the member for securing it to the rods, a receptacle longer than the distance across the rods and made of flexible material, a stiffening element attached to one wall of the receptacle and extending lengthwise thereof, and cooperating means on the member and stiffening element for detachably connecting the member and receptacle.

4. An article carrying attachment for crutches of the type including a pair of convergent rods of the type including a pair of convergent rods connected by a top cross-bar and a hand grip, which'comprises a plate adapted to be mounted on the rods against like faces thereof below the hand grip, a pair of clamps adjustably attached to the plate and operable to engage the rods and hold the plate against the rods, a receptacle, and means on the plate for detachably securing the plate and receptacle together.

FERDINAND H. BLUM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Hedden Feb. 16, 1943 Number 

